The Changing Mat

The changing mat is nothing special--a run-of-the-mill, slope-sided, waterproof fabriced place to change a baby's diaper. It's not on a table because something in me balks at changing her in the same place all the time. Which is probably a good thing because that has resulted in the discovery that Charlotte adores being on her changing mat (without a diaper). She will happily lay there, airing-out, two or three times a day for around half an hour. We even had friends over for dinner and let her enjoy her changing mat on the living room floor after dinner. Is that weird? Granted, these were two of our best friends, so they already know we're a little bit weird. However, it does make things difficult when you're changing her somewhere like the church nursery or a restaurant bathroom. They really frown upon you leaving your baby there to hang out.

An Apple a Day?

Picture this...you're three years old. You've been playing hard in the backyard, and now you're hungry. Your mom is preoccupied with changing your little sister's diaper, so you ask if you can get an apple. She's excited to not have to get up from the floor and says yes. As you open the refrigerator door and pull out the produce drawer, you take a good look at the apple bag. Usually, you would just grab an apple and close the refrigerator, but something occurs to you today...why not just take the whole bag? Sitting at your little table you stare at those five juicy apples and wonder, "Which apple is the best?" And then you realize, "Hey! I could just try them all." So you take a bite out of one, nope. Number two, nope. Number three, nope. Apple number four is promising, but after four or five bites, you think, "Maybe number five is better than this." And you were right. You're about halfway through number five when mom appears. Why on earth is she making that face? She seems upset. But this sure is a great apple.

Genetics

We all like answers. Sorry to say that I don't have any of those from the genetics physicians. Charlotte was scheduled for an appointment with them today, but it has been cancelled because there just isn't any point right now. They did a whole slew of tests while she was in the NICU, all of which have come back negative, save the one that we're really curious about...Holt-Oram Syndrome. It's going to be another month before the results are back. If it too is negative, well, I guess that means more tests. God is faithful though, and I can honestly say that He's giving me lots of peace about this whole situation. Thank you for your continued prayers through all of this.

Random Update

I really don't have anything too exciting to share. I know there are some grandparents just itching for picture posts, so here are a few to satiate your voracious appetites. As for the answer to, "How's life without milk?" It's not so bad. I'm substituting Sprite ;-) I'm not really sure if it's helping or not. The crying does seem more manageable, but I'm not sure if that's because I'm learning how she prefers to be soothed, or because she's getting older and becoming more capable of dealing with the crazy gassiness, or because of the new diet. I'm going to give it two full weeks and then possibly reintroduce the dairy and pay close attention. We'll see. I'm trying to remember all of the other interesting things going on lately, but my brain is fried. Hopefully I'll have something more lively to share soon.

I love milk

God bless the person who invented the baby swing. It took about ten tries, but I finally got a shot of her with the swing in the center of the photo (maybe I should have just taken a picture before I turned it on...hmm...oh well). As I mentioned before, Charlotte is a good bit fussier than I'm used to, so I'm incredibly grateful for any apparatus that allows me to put her down and not hear screaming as a result. This Cadillac of baby swings goes either side-to-side OR front-to-back. Amazing. Thanks so much to the Alleys for blessing us with this glorious gift. This is related to the title of my post, I promise. Because of said fussy daughter, I'm going to give up dairy for a week. Total insanity. I adore all things dairy (except cottage cheese--anything that looks like it's already gone bad should not be put in your mouth). I can drink a gallon of milk by myself in four or five days. Yogurt is one of my favorite snacks. Cheese goes on everything. However, my daughter poots and poops like nothing I've ever seen. And she's not happy about it. So at her doctor's appointment today it was suggested that I stop consuming dairy for a week to see if it makes a difference. I don't know whether to hope that it will (so she won't be fussy) or hope that it won't (so I can resume drinking milk every morning). I suppose this is where I put her needs above my own and hope for a big change, but I'm not going to like it.

And on a totally different note, meet Frosty. Our whole inch of snow two weeks ago was just enough for Will and Owen to make a 12 inch snowman. Isn't he cute?

Everybody say, "Aww"

Maybe I'm biased, but I'm pretty sure I have the cutest kids in the world. But anyways, just thought I'd let all you inquiring minds know that we're doing well here in the Alley house. Charlotte is amazingly like every other newborn, though a bit fussier than her brother was back in the day. She's quite a good eater now though, so praise God for that. She had her follow-up appointments with Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. They were all very pleased with her healing. However, her aorta does show a bit of narrowing where they made the repair, so please pray that it will stretch with her as she grows. They're going to keep an eye on it for the next six months. If it does not, then she will be back in for another cardiac cath with a balloon to increase the diameter of the aorta. This would by no means be the end of the world (God has done such bigger things in her already), but we'd rather not send our baby girl back into the hospital.

Fair Weather Friends

Today was day three of our beautiful weather. In Norfolk, it only takes a few days of warm sunshine to bring out our friends, the American Cockroaches. Some people call them water bugs, but that's only because they are afraid to say the word cockroach. They believe it implies dirty, unpleasant living conditions. However, I have learned that everyone in Norfolk battles these little punks every spring. (At one point I have found a ginormous cockroach eating cookie crumbs from a still-warm cookie sheet, and making a scritching noise with his front legs that could be heard in the next room.) So every spring I buy a load of giant bug hotels and place them around the house. But who would have thought it was cockroach time already? Apparently, it is. We were at Hardee's yesterday (free Roastburger day). I was waiting at the counter while Will sat at a nearby table with Owen and Charlotte. To my utter horror, one of the largest cockroaches ever is headed straight for my family. I'm fairly certain that it's going to zip up Will's leg and attack them all. I make a mad dash for the table, yank off my flip flop, and beat the mess out of him before he can complete his killer mission. I'm sure the people in line, along with several employees, think that I have lost my mind. But one savvy employee realizes I deserve a free cherry turnover for that. So if you're looking for free food, keep an eye out for cockroaches.

PS Don't worry, pictures of Charlotte (instead of cockroaches) on the way.